Grizzlies 90, Thunder 89 (OT)

Phil Stukenborg, The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeMarch 21, 2013

MEMPHIS - Marc Gasol tipped in a Zach Randolph shot at the buzzer in overtime to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 90-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night at FedExForum. Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook added 20 to lead the Thunder. Mike Conley scored 24 to lead the Grizzlies, who extended their home winning streak to nine games. Randolph had 18 rebounds. Gasol scored five of his 14 points in overtime and his game-winning tip followed a driving layup by Westbrook with 13.6 seconds left that gave the Thunder an 89-88 lead. Durant took over in the third quarter to give the Thunder their first lead of the game. Oklahoma City trailed 50-42 when Durant became a one-man scoring show, scoring 15 straight, including two on a short bank with 29.6 seconds to go in the quarter that gave the Thunder a 57-56 advantage. Durant scored 15 of his team's 19 third-quarter points. Durant added his 16th and 17th consecutive points early in the fourth quarter to give the Thunder a 59-58 lead and set the stage for a back-and-fourth final period and overtime. Memphis led 67-64 on a 3-pointer by Jerryd Bayless four minutes later, but the Thunder regained the lead, 68-67, on a follow by Durant and the lead continued to change hands. Kevin Martin's 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:26 to go gave Oklahoma City its biggest lead, 78-72, and the Thunder nearly withstood a late Conley-and-Bayless-led comeback. But Bayless, with the Grizzlies trailing 83-80, buried a 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Durant had the ball in the closing seconds after a Thunder timeout but lost control as the buzzer sounded. One night after dropping a 114-104 decision at home to Denver, the Thunder struggled from the outset. Leading the NBA with a 106.7 points-per-game average, the Thunder shot 22 percent (14-of-18) in the first quarter and 34 percent (13-of-38) in the first half and trailed 44-38. Durant, the league's top scorer with a 28.4 average, and Westbrook, averaging 23.4, went 6-of-20 in the first half. Westbrook missed his six shot attempts in the first quarter. The Grizzlies took advantage of Oklahoma City's shooting problems to build several double-digit leads in the opening half. Memphis led 41-31 on a Marc Gasol driving layup with 3:28 left in the second quarter, but Westbrook's short jumper at the buzzer trimmed the lead to six points. Randolph nearly had a double-double at the half with 12 points and nine rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. Memphis also shot poorly (17-of-41, 41.5 percent), but relied on its rebounding advantage (26-18) and defense to overcome the deficiency. NOTES: Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur missed his ninth straight game with neck and back soreness. Arthur has been limited to 46 of the team's 67 games this season because of various injuries. ... Since the start of the 2011-12 season, the Thunder has a 29-6 record in games played after a loss, the best record in the NBA during the span. Oklahoma City is 14-3 following a loss this season. ... Grizzlies center Marc Gasol entered Wednesday's game having averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in his previous 12 starts. He scored 20 or more points in seven of those games and the Grizzlies are 12-3 this season when Gasol scores at least 20. ... The Thunder entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NBA in scoring at 106.7 ppg. The Grizzlies entered ranked No. 1 in points allowed at 89.2. ... Gasol and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook were involved in a first-quarter pushing/shoving incident that led to a Westbrook technical foul. ... The Thunder went 4-of-18 in the opening quarter for 22 percent. Westbrook was 0-for-6.